Sawmill log-turner.



No. 68I,047. Patnted Aug. 20, l90l.

W. N. ELLIOTT.

SAWMILL LOG TURNER.

(Application filed Mir. 6, 1901. (No Model.)

1' uonms anus co wow-Limo wasnmarcn. uv x.

UNITED STATES PATENT Fries.

WILLIAM NATHAN ELLIOTT, O F MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE.

' SAWMILL L OG-TU RN ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 681,047, dated August20, 1901.

Application filed March 6,1901. Serial No. 50,013. (No model.)

To all whont it Wtcty concern.-

Be it known that IJVILLIAM NATHAN EL- LIOTT, residing at Memphis, in thecounty of Shelby and State of Tennessee, have made certain new anduseful Improvements in Sawmill Log-Turners, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to certain improvements in steam log-turners ofthat class which employ a toothed bar called a nigger, and

which, occupying a generally vertical position, is made to rise and fallbeneath the log and also to move laterally in horizontal ditaken throughthe log-carriage and the logdeck, showing my devices in longitudinalsection in proper relation to the coacting parts. Fig. 2 is a Viewshowing the backward thrust of the nigger-bar, and Fig. 3 is an enlargedperspective view of the parts of my invention shown detached.

. p In the drawings, Fig. 1, S is the log-carriage.

D is the log-deck, down whose inclined rails or skids thelog isdelivered and on which it is turned and transferred to the carriage S.

B is the nigger-bar, which efiects this turning and transfer of the log.

It is arranged at the lower end of the deck, beside the carriage S, in asubstantially vertical position beneath the log and extends down to andconnects with the steampiston, (not shown,) which works it in the usualway. Said nigger-bar has, us usual, a roller, 1" at its upper end andstout teeth 6 extending out from its sides beyond its side plates. Thisnigger-bar plays vertically through a hollow cross-head A, which hasalong each side the flanges f I and f, Fig. 3, which slide on parallelguideways F F, the flanges f being above and the flanges f below theguides, so that the crosshead cannot be displaced or lifted from theguides by the up-and-down movement of the niggerbar through the crosshead. The guides F F are made of angle-plates bolted to the upper edgesof the parallel floor-timbers M M. v The cross-head A is formed with aslot it in front to accommodate the rise of the teeth t through the sameand has shoulders E E in front and E E at the rear on the inner side ofits opening, which bear against or closely approach the side plates ofthe nigger-bar B at all times. These shoulders are curved in reversedirections, as shown, so as to permit the nigger-bar to assume aninclined position through the cross-head, as is shown in dotted lines inFig. 1 and in full lines in Fig. 2. To the rear end of the cross-headthere is rigidly attached a rod R, which extends l'oack between thefloor-timbers M M and passes freely through and is guided by a plate X,fixed crosswise in the two fioor timbers M M and extending across fromone to the other. This plate has on the front side a short sleeve w tobetter guide the rod as its slides through and reduce looseness fromwear. R, on one side of the fixed plate X, there is a plate V, attachedto the plate X by small rods 1), and on the other side of the fixedplate X there is a collar-nut W, fixed to the end of the rod. Betweenthe plates V and X there is arranged a stationary helical spring H, andbetween the plate X and collar-nut W there is a similar spring I butthis spring moves with the rod and is not attached to plate X. The rods1; pass either outside or inside the spring H to hold it in trueconcentric position on the rod R. The rear end of the rod R isscrewthreaded, and a jam-nut Y is turned on the the same to a bearingagainst the collar-nut W. Now when the nigger bar rises and falls andalso swings laterally in a horizontal direction these springs H and Icushion it against said horizontal thrust, so that there is no shock orimpact whatever, for when the nigger-bar swings back the cross-head Aand rod R move with it and the cross-head striking-plate V compressesthe spring H, and when the nigger-bar swings forward the cross-head Apulls on rod R and causes the collar-nut to advance with spring I andstrike against plate X with an elastic blow.

By means of the nut Y the rod R, crosshead A, and nigger-bar B may beadjusted On the rod to or from the saw and its carriage, as may bedesired.

I do not claim, broadly, the arrangement of the springs on the oppositesides of a fixed plate, as I am aware that this is old when combinedwith an elongated movable guide attached to a rod passing through saidsprings and plate. In this case, however, the nigger-bar as it moves insaid guide strikes against the end of the latter and has to overcome theinertia of the heavy movable guide before it feels the cushioning effectof the springs, which gives an objectionable hammering action. I am alsoaware that a logloading bar has been made to play through a hollow andsliding cross-head. I do not know, however, that these two features haveever been combined, and their combination produces the useful effect ofcushioning the nigger-bar and cross-head directly against the springswithout having first to overcome the inertia of the heavy guides, whichlatter are made stationary in my invention. Having thus described myinvention, what I claim as new,and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is

1. A log-turning device comprising a vertically and horizontally movingniggerbar, a cross-head closely embracing the same, stationary guidesfor controlling the movement of the cross-head, a rod connected to thecross-head, a fixed plate loosely support ing the other end of the rod,two coil-springs embracing the rod on opposite sides of the fixed plate,and two bearings for the opposite ends of the springs as described.

2. In a log-turning device as described, a sliding closely-fittingcross-head for the nigger-bar having a rod with two coil-springs on it,a fixed plate between said springs, two end "bearings forthe oppositeends of the springs, and several rods 0; extending through the forwardplate to the fixed plate to hold the plate and guide it on the rodsubstantially as shown and described.

3. The combination of the nigger-bar and its retaining cross-head,closely fitting the same, the attached rod with double-acting springs,said rod being screw-threaded and provided with adj usting-nuts foradjusting the nigger-bar to the saw substantially as described.

'4. The combination with the nigger-bar having projecting teeth 25, of aretaining cross-head having slot to and bearingshoulders E E curved topermit the change in the inclination of the nigger-bar in the cross-headand still cause it to be closely held, and double-acting springs forrenderfixed plate and sliding with the rod substantially as described.

WILLIAM NATHAN ELLIOTT.

Witnesses:

R. W. COX, L. J. BROWN.

